Engenho Cultural Loucura Suburbana

In battling against the stigma of mental illness, one community, led by a group of mental health professionals, organized a “bloco de carnaval” (Carnival block or street festival). Through the support of the BrazilFoundation, this group was able to organize a permanent structure for their Carnival block which allowed it to work with mental patients throughout the entire year. The project sought to combat the perceived necessity to keep psychiatric patients in isolation, and contributed to the creation of a friendly coexistence between the hospital patients and members of the community.